The United States threatened on Friday to impose visa restrictions and sanctions in response to countries that vote in favor of a plan proposed by a U.N. agency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from maritime shipping.
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Member states of the United Nations are set to vote next week on the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) proposed net-zero emissions framework, aimed at cutting carbon dioxide emissions from the global shipping industry — a sector that handles about 80% of world trade and accounts for roughly 3% of global emissions.
Major container shipping companies, facing investor pressure to combat climate change, agree that a unified global regulatory framework is necessary to accelerate decarbonization. However, some of the world’s largest oil tanker operators have expressed “serious concerns” about the proposal.
In a joint statement, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said:
“The administration firmly rejects this proposal before the organization and will not tolerate any measure that increases costs for our citizens, energy providers, shipping companies and their customers, or tourists.”
They added that the proposal “poses significant risks to the global economy and imposes on all member states an unauthorized global tax regime that enforces punitive and regressive financial penalties.”
Supporters of the IMO proposal argue that the absence of a global regulatory system would lead to a fragmented set of laws and higher costs, without effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
U.S. officials warned that Washington is considering retaliatory measures against U.N. member states supporting the plan — including the potential banning of vessels registered in those countries from entering U.S. ports, imposing visa and tariff restrictions, and sanctioning officials who “sponsor activist climate policies.” — Reuters
